Access to government meetings primarily for benefit of public
Tom Griscom Publisher and Executive Editor
The dust is settling from the Knox County lawsuit between the Knoxville News-Sentinel and nine local residents and the local government. If one were keeping score, though that is not the intention of this column or the state’s law, those on the side of local government would have long since been sent to the showers — game over. For the arguments against public access to meetings, they all went away with the actions of a handful of Knox County commissioners. Their actions to bypass a court ruling that term limits applied to Knox County officials were viewed by a Chancery Court jury to be in violation of state law. For our readers, a short summary is useful. There were private discussions on whom to support. There was the selection of a new sheriff who then hired the term-limited sheriff so his final pension would be more lucrative. The Knox County Commission chairman called a recess so his campaign chairman could be sworn in to office and eligible to vote for another commission vacancy. The appointment process continued for filling four county offices and 12 commission seats. Retaliation was the reaction of some of the commissioners who were caught in the state Supreme Court-ordered term limits. Elected officials in Knox County suggested that public notice advertisements that are printed in the Knoxville News-Sentinel should be stopped. An economic development plan that was approved by former Mayor Victor Ashe, moving the newspaper from a downtown site to a more suburban location, was a potential target for review. Neither occurred, but the levers of government were eyed as means to quiet the voice of the News-Sentinel and indirectly the public. Why is this important? The News-Sentinel will continue to publish a newspaper, and government in Knox County will coursecorrect. But when the forces of government are even raised as a threat to stop public inquiry and public dialogue, it is time for the public to say, “Enough.” Economic sanctions usually are applied to rogue nations, not to newspapers that are raising valid legal questions. When the Tennessee General Assembly convenes in January, once more a bill will be introduced on behalf of county governments in Tennessee to allow an outof-state company to post Tennessee public notices on the Internet. The statement once again will be made that this is a cost-saving move. When the lobbyists for county government attempt to soften the Tennessee law that prevents a meeting of two or more public officials in private to deliberate on an issue, think about Knox County. Tennessee law as it relates to open meetings is not for the media; it is for the public, and it is for accountability in government. Think Knox County and hope it does not spread to other parts of Tennessee. To reach Tom Griscom, call (423) 757-6472 or e-mail tgriscom@timesfreepress.com.
